This young god (his words) of 26 from Luyksgestel can’t wait to roll his sleeves up. ‘From knee high, I was always hanging out on my uncle’s farm. Mucking out the sheds, milking the cows and on occasion in the fields with the tractor and on the loader.' The bug to work in freedom beyond the confines of an office had bitten deep. ‘Contained inside an office and with set break times, that is not my life. The freedom and the variety, I thrive on them.’
Looking at his ‘work gear’ you would never suspect that Chris likes to look the part in his free time. Neat pants, a shirt, and tidy shoes. With a few carefully chosen pieces of jewelry. On Fridays, Chris settles himself down in the barber’s chair – every Friday. His regular moment of relaxation after a week away from home and hard at work on location. And if there is space in his diary, he will grab a ticket for a hardcore party.
A fun anecdote: Chris met his girlfriend while working for Gielissen as a contractor at the Double Tree by Hilton. He had to deliver 500 hotel rooms; she took care of breakfast and lunch. They hit it off and are now engaged!
‘I still remember my first job as an assistant contractor. I accompanied contractor Dennis on site at Nationale-Nederlanden in The Hague. I struck up an instant rapport with Dennis who said to our manager after the end of the first day: “we need to hang on to this one. He sees things, he can do it, and he knows what to do.” That gave me a great feeling and boosted my self-confidence no end.’
‘In the meantime, I now know that things always go differently on location than we had foreseen in advance. As contractor you have to be able to switch rapidly between tasks and show agility. For example, there can be issues with deliveries. In such a case, I organize that the trucks can be unloaded in the evening so that work can commence first thing in the morning.’
Chris was given the opportunity to move from assistant to supervisor. ‘I enjoy going to work even more now. That's because I have more responsibility and can make more decisions. I also do a lot of prep work so my colleagues can get right to work. This way they do not have to search for things all day.’
‘On Friday afternoon, I usually call in at Helmond to tie up loose ends and chat to the project manager in the office. Because I am out and about a lot, I have a lot less contact with my colleagues in the workshop. But on the other hand, I have intensive contact with the foreworker, who makes everything I need for the projects I am working on. The communication is really good, even though things do not always go our way. In such cases we look for a solution together. Everyone puts their backs into it. As a team, you can achieve great things.’
‘I didn’t finish my education, but I’m not ashamed of that. This was my path. Ultimately, you learn most in practice. Of course, my folks were disappointed at the time, but they now see that I have found my spot. It is so great that at Gielissen they look beyond your certificates. It is more important that you have the right attitude. I am getting the opportunity here to grow to become a contractor. I am working on a training course via GoodHabitz for this.’
‘As a contractor, you are also obliged to get your company first aid and safety certification for extra safety on the work floor. I am all for that. ‘I've also had four audits. That's when an external auditor comes in to see if we're complying with safety regulations. We recently moved to level 3 on the safety ladder.’
I have also been able to get my forklift truck license and scaffold certificate. That is so handy when loading and unloading on site. I really appreciate that these opportunities are offered. Everything is exceptionally well organized.’
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